How Difficult Is It to Teach Critical Thinking in California Schools? | Sean Redmond

California Insider

“It’s like walking through a minefield; you’re trying to just make people think. But if you conflict with them just to make them think, then they’re going to be upset about that. Students just completely lock into the narrative that they want to lock into, and that’s not a good thing, whether you’re left or right. It occurs on both sides. So what I want students to do is to be able to think critically and to understand the very valid points for and against each side. But if you’re doing that, you’re gonna offend somebody.”

Siyamak sits down with Sean Redmond, a veteran high school civics and history teacher. He will explain how political narratives are impacting students’ education and the changes he’s experienced teaching in the system for the last couple of decades.

“Let’s focus on education, less than indoctrinate. Let’s bring up both sides of an issue; we need to help students think and come to their own conclusions. We need to get that offending is bad out of the air right there. I don’t see teachers trying to offend students. Teachers are there because they care; they really want to help.”

*Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.